2011 Edition: Senior Transit Discounts

A nationally recognized reporter, writer, and consumer advocate, Ed Perkins focuses on how travelers can find the best deals and avoid scams.

He is the author of "Online Travel" (2000) and "Business Travel: When It's Your Money" (2004), the first step-by-step guide specifically written for small business and self-employed professional travelers. He was also the co-author of the annual "Best Travel Deals" series from Consumers Union.

Perkins' advice for business travelers is featured on MyBusinessTravel.com, a website devoted to helping small business and self-employed professional travelers find the best value for their travel dollars.

Perkins was founding editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter, one of the country's most influential travel publications, from which he retired in 1998. He has also written for Business Traveller magazine (London).

Perkins' travel expertise has led to frequent television appearances, including ABC's "Good Morning America" and "This Week with David Brinkley," "The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather," CNN, and numerous local TV and radio stations.

Before editing Consumer Reports Travel Letter, Perkins spent 25 years in travel research and consulting with assignments ranging from national tourism development strategies to the design of computer-based tourism models.

Born in Evanston, Illinois, Perkins lives in Ashland, Oregon with his wife.

Want to get stories like this every day? Subscribe to our free Deal Alert newsletter today!

If your spring and summer travel plans call for a stop in a big city, check out the local transit system for senior discounts and travel passes. Among the largest cities, a few let visiting seniors ride free and many others offer discounts of 50 percent or more. Not much has changed since my last report, two years ago, although some fares are up a bit.

Unless noted, the minimum qualifying age for all of the deals I post is 65 years. Most systems accept a Medicare card as ID; some also ask for photo ID. I list fares for a single one-way ride and a one-day pass if available, some systems also sell multi-day, weekly, and other senior passes that are even better deals than a one-ride discount. Senior deals often do not apply to such special services as “express buses” and transit to special events.

More and more systems are moving to stored value fare cards, now often the only way to pay your fare, and some require special senior ID cards. Most buses require either some sort of fare card or exact change.

Pennsylvania remains the most senior-friendly state for transit: Seniors ride free at all times, with just Medicare ID.

Philadelphia: free on subway, light rail, bus; $1 per ride on regional rail within state, 50 percent off for trips into Delaware or New Jersey

Pittsburgh: free on subway, light rail, bus

Some big cities make it easy for visiting seniors to ride on discounted fares: Just show ID at the station or to a vehicle driver and pay reduced cash fare.

Some cities offer senior discounts only to local residents; visiting seniors pay regular adult fares. Among them: Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, St. Louis, and Washington. No major Canadian cities other than Vancouver offer senior discounts accessible to U.S. residents.